Spatial and temporal variation in a mesic savanna fire regime: responses to variation in annual rainfall

Abstract

This paper analyses the fire regime over 41 years (1956 to 1996) in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, a mesic savanna area in South Africa. The study focuses at the landscape scale of tens of kilometres and at the medium term temporal scale of decades. Variation in fire regime was analysed in relation to variation in annual rainfall and the influence of management. The average annual area of the park that burnt was 26% and the average area of individual fires was 9.1km². Statistics relating to the percentage of area burnt annually, the average size of an individual burn, the mean and median fire return periods and the influence of management philosophy relative to the spatial and temporal variation in rainfall conditions are presented. Sources of ignition and implications for management are discussed.


Keywords: fire history; fire management; fire return period; Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park


African Journal of Range & Forage Science 2001, 19(1): 45-53